The Story of Millets
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The Story of Millets Millets were the first crops Millets are the future crops Published by: Karnataka State Department of Agriculture, Bengaluru, India with ICAR-Indian Institute of Millets Research, Hyderabad, India This document is for educational and awareness purpose only and not for profit or business publicity purposes 2018 Compiled and edited by: B Venkatesh Bhat, B Dayakar Rao and Vilas A Tonapi ICAR-Indian Institute of Millets Research, Hyderabad Inputs from: Prabhakar, B.Boraiah and Prabhu C. Ganiger (All Indian Coordinated Research Project on Small Millets, University of Agricultural Sciences, Bengaluru, India) Disclaimer The document is a compilation of information from reputed and some popular sources for educational purposes only. The authors do not claim ownership or credit for any content which may be a part of copyrighted material or otherwise. In many cases the sources of content have not been quoted for the sake of lucid reading for educational purposes, but that does not imply authors have claim to the same. Sources of illustrations and photographs have been cited where available and authors do not claim credit for any of the copy righted or third party material. G. Sathish, IFS, Commissioner for Agriculture, Department of Agriculture Government of Karnataka Foreword Millets are the ancient crops of the mankind and are important for rainfed agriculture. They are nutritionally rich and provide number of health benefits to the consumers. With Karnataka being a leading state in millets production and promotion, the government is keen on supporting the farmers and consumers to realize the full potential of these crops. On the occasion of International Organics and Millets Fair, 2018, we are planning before you a story on millets to provide a complete historic global perspective of journey of millets, their health benefits, utilization, current status and future prospects, in association with our knowledge partner ICAR - Indian Institute of Millets Research, with specific inputs from the University of Agricultural Sciences, Bengaluru. I commend the efforts of the authors in putting together the parts of the story and shaping it up for a general as well as technically inclined reader. I hope this book will be useful to readers to know more about millets and will find reasons to use them beneficially, complementing our mission of promoting millets. It will also be useful for general readers to understand millets from a holistic perspective. (G Satish) Preface In the recent times the millets have become important owing to their good nutritional values, documented health benefits, versatile environmental adaptation, sustainability in low input agriculture and organic cultivation amenability. This publication is an attempt to bring together the historical and the present status of all millets in the world as well as in India. This would give a cursory impression of the way millets have been adopted and utilized by different societies in the course of history. This book summarizes the broad information on millets, their nutritional and health benefits, origin and domestication, historical perspective, utilization, R&D efforts, present status and the importance being given by policy makers for promoting millets for sustainable agriculture and healthy society. While the book is intended for general audience, some technical details are also included for the readers who may need more information. Detailed references are not included as this compilation is only for the purpose of awareness and education. However, every attempt has been made to ensure that all the information have been complied from credible sources. The authors are grateful to the publisher Karnataka State Department of Agriculture for coming up with the idea of such a publication on the occasion of International Organic and Millets Fair wherein clients from across different sections of society would be participating. We also place on record the support and encouragement received from Indian Council of Agricultural Research for our efforts on promotion of millets. We thank Drs. KN Ganapathy and KV Raghavendra Rao for the support in improvising the publication. We are grateful to Mr. HS Gawali for photographic inputs and cover page designing. Authors Contents 1. Understanding millets ...........................................................................................1 Sorghum ....................................................................................................................3 Pearl millet ................................................................................................................3 Finger millet ..............................................................................................................5 Foxtail millet .............................................................................................................6 Proso millet ...............................................................................................................7 Barnyard millet ........................................................................................................7 Kodo millet ...............................................................................................................9 Little millet ................................................................................................................9 Brown top millet ....................................................................................................10 Tef .............................................................................................................................10 Fonio ........................................................................................................................12 Millets are smart foods ..........................................................................................13 2. Millets are powerhouses of nutrition ...............................................................15 Millets confer good health and protection against non-communicative diseases ....................................................................................................................17 Millets benefit diabetics ........................................................................................19 Millets and degenerative diseases .......................................................................19 Anti-nutrients in millets – challenges and solutions ........................................20 3. The Origins of Millets .........................................................................................22 4. Journey of Millets .................................................................................................26 Proso and foxtail millet- Journey starts from China .........................................26 China to Eurasia .....................................................................................................31 Millet in the Roman Diet.......................................................................................33 Japan and Korea .....................................................................................................34 Journey to India......................................................................................................35 Millets in USA ........................................................................................................36 Sorghum, pearl millet and finger millet were domesticated in Africa ..........37 The Indian domestication of sorghum ...............................................................38 Sorghum in China ..................................................................................................38 Sorghum arrived in the Near East .......................................................................40 Sorghum comes to USA ........................................................................................41 Barnyard Millet has its origins in Japan .............................................................44 Millet of Indian origin ...........................................................................................44 Niche millets of Africa ..........................................................................................46 5. History of Millets in India ..................................................................................48 Introduction of millets ..........................................................................................48 Millets from China .................................................................................................48 African millets transformed late Harappan agriculture in Western and Peninsular India .....................................................................................................49 Millets in the Vijayanagara Empire .....................................................................51 Indian Millets .........................................................................................................51 Millets and Mughals ..............................................................................................53 Kingdom of Hyder Ali ..........................................................................................54 The colonial India ..................................................................................................55 6. Millets Today .........................................................................................................57 Millets